1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a centralized loom control method and, more particularly, to centralized loom control techniques for quickly deciding control conditions meeting weaving conditions appropriate for weaving a new fabric of specifications, such as the total number of warp ends, pick spacing, the type and count of yarns.
2. Prior Art
Optimum loom control conditions are decided through test weaving on a test loom before weaving fabrics of new specifications. In the test weaving, a plurality of control parameters, such as the operating speed of the main shaft of the test loom, warp tension, operating phases of the retaining pin of the weft measuring and storing device and picking nozzles, and the pressure of a picking fluid (air), are varied to find optimum conditions. The test weaving is carried out to decide optimum weaving conditions by a trial-and-error method, in which tentative weaving conditions are decided on operator's experience and intuition, the results of test weaving under the tentative weaving conditions are evaluated, and the tentative weaving conditions are adjusted to better weaving conditions
However, the trial-and-error method requires much time and labor, and skill. Such a troublesome procedure of deciding weaving conditions is an impediment particularly to rapidly supplying fabrics of new specifications to the market requiring rapid supply of diversified fabrics.
The inventors of the present invention proposed a method and apparatus for correcting the tentative weaving conditions in U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,324 (EPO Application No. 85 114 810.6). This proposed method stores data of weaving conditions collected in the past weaving operations in a computer, enters data of specifications of a fabric to be produced, decides standard weaving conditions with reference to the data stored in the computer, gives the standard weaving conditions to a loom, operates the loom under the standard weaving conditions, measures parameters indicating the condition of weaving operation, and corrects the standard weaving conditions on the basis of data obtained by measuring the parameters.
However, the advancement of weaving techniques is not taken into consideration in the invention proposed in the previous patent application. Suppose that an advanced loom is capable of operating at an operating speed higher than an optimum operating speed for at obsolete loom determined on the basis of data obtained and accumulated by measuring the operating conditions of such an obsolete loom in weaving the same fabric. Thin, the standard operating speed is lower than the optimum operating speed for the advanced loom, and hence improvement in productivity cannot be achieved by the advanced loom even though the standard operating speed is corrected automatically within a narrow range of correction by the learning function of the control unit of the loom.